Clippers should keep Richardson

The 24-year-old Richardson is coming off the best season of his four-year career. He averaged career-highs in points (17.2 ppg), rebounds (6.4 rpg) and assists (2.1 apg) in 65 games for the Clippers, who finished a dismal 28-54 in the regular season.

Richardson could receive a quick offer from an interested squad, as the Clippers will most likely make a strong push for Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, who is an unrestricted free agent. Players who are free agents can begin talking to teams on June 1 and can start signing deals July 14.

If a team can sign Richardson to an offer sheet, the Clippers will have 15 days to match and would then have to decide whether they want to put all of their eggs in the Bryant basket or if they want to retain Richardson’s services for what could be a very high price. The Clippers would be in a very tough spot if a team can get Richardson to sign an offer sheet early, as the Clippers could easily end up without Bryant or Richardson.

Denver will be one team that will lobby to sign Richardson. The Nuggets, who made the playoffs for the first time since 1995, have a young and exciting squad. Richardson would fit in well in a lineup that already consists of a frontcourt of Marcus Camby, Nene and Carmelo Anthony and Andre Miller as the point guard. If the money is right, Denver would be a very attractive situation for Richardson.

Another team that could be interested in Richardson is San Antonio. Richardson would add some needed athleticism to the Spurs’ roster. He would be a nice complement to starting point guard Tony Parker and would also help out All- Star Tim Duncan with the scoring load. Another key factor could be the fact that the Spurs seem to be a fixture in the postseason, which is something Richardson has never played in.

The Clippers also have some solid pieces to their puzzle already in place. Twenty-five-year-old power forward Elton Brand averaged 20 points and a team- high 10.3 rebounds last season, while 24-year-old swingman Corey Maggette led the Clippers in scoring (20.7 ppg).

Brand, Maggette and Richardson give the Clippers a solid threesome. The Clippers did draft high school phenom Shaun Livingston with the No. 4 pick in the draft. Livingston is a 6-8 point guard, but it could be years before he is ready to make an impact. Chris Kaman, who was the Clippers first-round pick in the 2003 draft, is a 22-year-old center who is only going to get better.

Originally selected out of DePaul by the Clippers in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft, Richardson will be a hot commodity in the offseason, and he will most likely be signed early by another team to a lucrative multi-year contract, forcing the Clippers to make a tough decision.

According to the Rocky Mountain News, the Clippers will be about $14 million under the salary cap, which would be enough to sign Bryant to a maximum contract. However, if the Clippers decided to wait on Bryant, who can get the most money from the Lakers, and don’t match an offer to Richardson from another team they could end up with nothing but a big hole on their roster.

The Clippers should sign Richardson and continue to build with the young nucleus that they have on their roster. Brand, Maggette and Richardson could continue to flourish together in the years to come, and they would give Clippers’ fans an exciting team to watch and a squad that they could be proud of.